Crestseeker
Logo by Crestseeker is a 3D action-adventure game developed by Pyro Enterprises as a launch title for the Onyx. Developed as a spiritual successor to the beloved Legend of Zelda series, it takes inspiration from series Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword while implementing new concepts and design elements of its own. Gameplay Much like traditional Zelda titles, Crestseeker is played from an over-the-shoulder third-person perspective, with the player being able to control the camera freely. Players control Bynde in order to help navigate her through the environments and puzzles which the game places in her path, as well as dealing with various enemies which she must combat. Bynde's standard non-combat abilities are a simple jump and a sprint; while sprinting can be performed infinitely, she cannot draw her weapons or use items while doing so. Bynde can also block attacks if she happens to have a shield equipped. Combat controls are simplified and hearken back to both Twilight Princess and Breath of the Wild, with a focus on timing counterattacks rather than specific coordinated blow directions such as in Skyward Sword. Bow combat is also a primary focus of Crestseeker's combat loop, being able to temporarily enter bullet time while Bynde draws her bow. Due to this, sword combat is often used to either outright damage enemies or open up their weakpoints, enabling precise strikes with the bow. An emphasis is also placed around the use of the game's myriad items to open alternate methods of combat, with various items having different effects on enemies that can be exploited to gain an advantage. Many of Bynde's abilities are governed by a blue crescent-shaped meter next to her health called the Mana Meter. Using most items, as well as the bullet time feature on Bynde's bow and some advanced sword techniques, drains the meter, which automatically fills over time. In contrast, there are no resources such as arrows that are required to use items; all resource management is relegated to using the Mana Meter effectively. Bynde can also carry multiple objects in her Pouch in order to aid her in the field. Pouch items range from Flasks, which can be used to store objects, Shields, which she can equip at any given time and are used to block incoming attacks, and passive effect-sharing Charms, which can influence her skills slightly. Only a limited amount of Pouch slots are available, meaning inventory management becomes important, though Bynde also has an infinite inventory for small collectible objects. Controls *Left Stick- Move *Right Stick- Rotate Camera *L- Lock-On/Re-center Camera *X- Attack/Interact *B- Jump *Y/A- Use equipped Item *ZL- Bow *ZR- Shield (if equipped) *D-Pad- Item Quick Switch *Start- Pull up Menu Story The game's story begins with an odd dream sequence. Bynde is shown walking in a black void, frightened and confused, as a flash of lightning in the distance garners her attention. She watches in fear as a massive electrified mass of darkness, accompanied by some sort of flaming entity, rush towards her in a malicious manner. At the last second, she raises her arms to shield herself from the enroaching darkness, only to have the entire void suddenly burst with golden light, which dissipates the threat entirely. Bynde looks up to the sky and sees a strange symbol resembling a five-pointed star, one point glowing brighter than the others. The dream fades entirely to white, and Bynde promptly crashes out of her bed, startling a younger girl tuning a sitar next to her. Bynde rubs her head to try easing the pain while the other girl grabs her a bag of ice, being introduced to the player as Tai. Tai expresses concern that Bynde has been repeatedly having these dreams as of late, and she's worried that her sister might be coming down with some form of illness. Bynde simply brushes this off, with a still concerned Tai stating that the two need to get started on farm work for the day anyways. Player control of Bynde is granted for the first time as they venture from outside of the sister's home into Lumin Town, a seemingly-mostly abandoned location on the Moon. The player is then given a list of pseudo-tutorial events, which they can participate in to learn about crucial gameplay skills: *One of the cows has run off from the herd, and Bynde is sent to chase it down, acting as a tutorial for Bynde's movement controls and acrobatic capabilities. *Tai has set up a small practice range for the two sisters to practice archery, which can be used to hone the player's bow skills before the main game. *The fields nearby the ranch have been infested with some small Lunefilth enemies, which are eating away at the crops. Bynde must venture out into the fields in a form of mini-dungeon in order to clear the enemies away. Once every task for the day has been completed, Tai runs up to Bynde carrying a parcel of food and a flask of Lunar Milk, granting the player their first Flask and providing a short tutorial on the Pouch mechanic. The two decide to retire to the house early, and climb up to the house's roof to look out at the planet over the horizon. Bynde sighs sadly when looking at the far-off blue sphere, with Tai patting her on the back affectionately. Tai then expresses a desire to someday travel to the planet, knowing that Bynde has always wanted to go leave Lumin Town but has stayed out of a sense of duty. Bynde hugs her sister as they leave the roof, returning to the fields to continue their work. After wandering around Lumin Town for a time, Bynde returns home to Tai having made lunch for the two. The two sit around the table for a time as Tai plays on her sitar, stating that the heirloom is the only thing the sisters have left to remember their parents by. Eventually, Tai manages to hit a strange note with the instrument, which sends a strange pain throughout Bynde's body. She grabs her head and begins blacking out as Tai jolts to her feet and tries carrying her back into bed. Bynde begins to rest once more as Tai examines her sitar, then back to her sister, wondering what exactly has been happening recently to mess with her head so much. A strange chiming sound echoes in the distance as Tai turns to the window, a bright red light shining on the planet for a short time before vanishing. Confused, she turns back to watch over Bynde. ---- Bynde eventually reawakens, seeking out Tai in order to check and see if she is alright. Exiting the house and looking out over Lumin Town, she senses that something is off, with a striking level of silence echoing through the town even more so than usual. Even Tai seems to be missing, with even the sound of her sitar inaudible. Eventually, she notices some strange ruby glow away from the town, emanating from some form of naturally-formed cave. Grabbing her sword and bow, Bynde heads in to investigate. Fighting her way to the end of the cavern, Bynde comes across a wide clearing looking over the planet. On the clearing's edge, she sees Tai alongside a strange woman in odd black clothing that she had never seen before. The woman was talking to Tai about something or other, and she could tell from afar that her sister was feeling uncomfortable with the situation. Bynde waled over to figure out exactly what was going on, and the strange woman perked up almost immediately, greeting her and saying that she was simply talking with the young girl about her "wonderful music". Tai almost immediately cried out for Bynde's help, saying that the woman was harassing her over something that she couldn't understand. Bynde drew her sword to defend Tai, but the woman's hand reached out in a split second and grabbed her neck, her armored fingers growing red hot as Bynde struggled to break free. Tai ran up behind the woman, striking feebly at her back with a small rock, only to be knocked aside as she threw Bynde down to the ground. Clutching at her neck, Bynde attempts to reach for Tai, only to have her be torn away at the last minute by their assailant. Tai screams out to her sister for help, vanishing in a burst of ruby fire alongside her kidnapper and leaving nothing but a strange rune on the ground. In a fit of desperation and rage, Bynde rushes to the rune on the ground and stabs it with her sword, and in another burst of flames, she is whisked away as well. Bynde eventually wakes in a strange landscape, with dense fog and towering, unfamiliar plants. Unsure of where she is, but still deadset on finding Tai and her captor, she rushes into the new land with sword in hand, carving her way through overgrown plantlife and strange, shadowy-looking creatures wielding primitive weapons. Eventually, Bynde makes her way to a clearing, where a large carcass of some great beast has been left with strange arrows stuck in its side. Bynde reaches out to investigate the corpse, only to be interrupted by a group of men in silver armor, aiming long weapons at her. As she draws her blade to defend herself, the armored men are interrupted by a young man in regal clothing, who calls them off in order to talk to the "strange lady". The man asks Bynde for her name; Bynde attempts to answer, but cannot, instead attempting to use sign language. The man, seemingly being unable to read her hand gestures, understands that Bynde may be mute due to her demeanor; as such, he asks if he can call her "Moonstone", simply based on the earrings she is wearing. Seeing no other choice, Bynde nods in acceptance. The man, satisfied with her compliance in the face of potential danger, introduces himself as Logos, prince of Kalidia. Noticing Bynde's even more confused expression, Logos deduces that Bynde is not from Kalidia, seemingly having no idea what the nation is. Ordering his men to put away their weapons, he offers to escort Bynde to his palace in order to help her calm down and refresh her mind. Eventually, Bynde arrives with Logos at Kalidia Castle Town, a bustling marketplace far busier and louder than anything she'd ever experienced. Staying close to Logos out of confusion for her surroundings, she follows him into the castle proper, being lead into a massive throne room with an elderly king on the throne. Logos introduces Bynde to his father, King Patheus, and explains to the old man that "Moonstone" seems to be unsure of exactly where she is or what exactly is going on. Patheus remains motionless a few seconds, but then suddenly has a jolt of realization, and asks Bynde to come close to him. He reaches out to examine Bynde's unnaturally white hair, reaching a conclusion that she is "one of those moon people". Confused, Logos asks what exactly his father means; Patheus simply states that something he's been fearing for a long time has begun to resurface, and that "Moonstone" should venture into Stalma Forest and seek the counsel of someone he calls "The Sage", who will guide her towards the one she seeks. Logos instinctively reaches for his left hand, which Bynde notices for the first time is scarred and burnt horribly. As Bynde is sent from the palace with a map which leads to Stalma Forest, she is intercepted in the castle courtyard by Logos. The prince states that while he has no clue who she is, he will do anything in his power to assist her in her journey. He takes off a small earring and hands it to her, informing her that the gem is a magical artifact known as the Kingsbead and will enable him to talk to her from far off distances if need be. With a short hug and a blessing of luck on her journey, Bynde sets off to find Stalma Forest, hoping that the Sage will help her find Tai and her kidnapper. Stalma Forest Following the map given to her by King Patheus, Bynde ventures from Kalidia Castle into a deep evergreen forest to the north, civilization giving way to wild grassy frontiers and bright plains. It's certainly a different feeling from the emptiness Bynde has spent on the moon all her life, and along the trail, she decides to stretch out and soak up some of the sunlight. This is swiftly interrupted by a cry for help nearby, and Bynde rushes over to the source of the screams to find a creature resembling a cross between an insect and a flower shielding herself from attacks by more of the primitive creatures from the Foglands. Blade drawn, Bynde fends the attackers off, helping the insectoid woman out. Fully calmed down, the young woman began thanking Bynde for her rescue, crying amber-colored tears of joy. When she noticed Bynde's confused expression, she introduced herself as Atra, a member of the Fleurde tribe residing deep in the forest. Atra sees the map in Bynde's hands and understands that she must be looking for the Fleurde Sage; by coincidence, her mother, and someone she was in search of assistance for. Atra explains that the Sage had been stolen away from her village by a great beast of some kind, and dragged into the abandoned temple nearby. Since then, the Mirekin that had just been attacking her had been pouring out of the temple non-stop, and as pacifists, they had no training by which to attempt a rescue. Her sense of duty prevailing, Bynde offered to help rescue the Sage; perhaps the kidnapper would be the same woman who took Tai. Atra eventually leads Bynde to Lotus Village, the dwelling place of the Fleurde. The charming stained glass architecture and beautiful floral decorations around the village repeatedly begin catching Bynde's eye, leading to her attempting to wander off across the new locale, but Atra quickly catches her arm, explaining that there's no time to waste in rescuing the Sage. Bynde is lead by Atra towards a large stone building in the distance, overgrown with moss and decay. A large crowd of other Fleurde is waiting at the entrance, as if unsure what to do; Atra then announces to the crowd that she has arrived with a skilled swordswoman willing to help rescue the Sage. With the cheering of the crowd at her back, Bynde enters the Seer's Catacombs, blade in hand. Venturing deep into the musty, glass-filled catacombs, Bynde begins fending off massive spiders and other overgrown platlife that has taken the location over. Along the way, she encounters a sealed chest that seems to magically open on contact with her hand; inside is some strange ring-like bladed weapon. Though she has never seen this object before, Bynde seems to recognize it as something called a "Windcutter", and decides to take it under the belief that it will act as a useful tool. Eventually, Bynde comes to a massive empty room resembling some form of worship hall, with a massive statue placed in the middle. As she walks further into the room, massive vines emerge from the statue, animating it and revealing an eye-like flower in the center. The statue roars to life and attacks Bynde, forcing her to take it down. With the beast slain, Bynde approaches a frail pink and white person dropped by the golem, determining that it seems to be an elderly Fleurde; perhaps this could be the Sage she was told about? The Sage slowly stirs back to conciousness before thanking her savior for rescuing her from the clutches of the terrifying beast. Bynde picks her up and begins carrying her back to the catacomb entrance, only to be interrupted by Atra, who managed to make her way through safely due to Bynde clearing out the monsters. Atra and the Sage greet each other warmly as the former explains the situation; after realizing Bynde was sent by Patheus, the Sage begins to recieve a vision. As if caught in a trance, the Sage speaks to Bynde- with her true name, most jarringly- about the woman who stole Tai from her, stating that as Bynde is now, she will not be able to pursue her quarry. However, the "maiden of flame" could have her location pinpointed with the help of an ancient relic known as the Dark Eye. The Dark Eye had been shattered in two centuries ago by an unknown force, and each half had been entombed in a different part of Kalidia for safekeeping. One half resided in "the ruin of flame", while the other resided in "the tomb of the sea". Bynde was filled with joy- she could find Tai using the Dark Eye! Before the Sage came back to reality, however, she made one more statement; the maiden of flame was merely the herald for another force, something much fiercer and more powerful than the one Bynde sought. With that, the Sage fell asleep, snoring loudly and peacefully. Bynde and Atra picked the old woman and began carrying her out of the catacombs, the latter once again crying tears of joy at Bynde helping her and her people so selflessly. Cinis Wastes Guided by the Sage's words, Bynde set off with directions from Atra and Logos towards the Cinis Wastes, supposedly one of the two burial sites of the pieces of the Dark Eye. According to Logos, the wastes were a vast arid landscape due to some strange event that had happened years before Patheus's time, where something fell from the heavens and turned the area into an almost lifeless wasteland. Bynde had to agree; aside from a few creatures scuttling about the red sandy canyons, almost nothing here could be considered alive by any means. Eventually, Bynde and Atra come across a large sinkhole, with what appears to be faint noises coming from it. Despite Atra's urging, Bynde slides down into the sinkhole, falling for a bit until eventually arriving in what appears to be an underground city held up by a massive metal cage, landing on a large bag of ruby-colored dust. She gets up off the bag to see two small furry creatures with incredibly large ears, glaring at her angrily and yelling at her for ruining their product. Atra soon falls from the ceiling as well, landing in Bynde's lap; the Fleurde looks around and determines that the two must be in the city of Cineris, the underground home of the Effec people. Wandering Cineris for a short while, the two eventually come across a smaller Effec with a nervous disposition about him, seemingly unaware of his surroundings as he walks right into Bynde's leg. Startled, the Effec screams for his life, and Atra only barely succeeds in calming him down before he breaks down into tears. When asked what exactly is wrong, the Effec introduces himself as Laiman, and he was the most recent in a member of guardians tasked with guarding a relic of his people known as the Aqua Stone. Unfortunately, someone managed to trick him into giving up the stone, and now both his own life and that of his people were in danger. Realizing she needed to help the Effec and Laiman out, Bynde looked for a method to return to the surface, setting out to look for the Aqua Stone. ---- After some exploration on the surface of the wastes, Bynde and her friends eventually come across a small encampment of strange people; they seem to resemble the Kalidians, but with much darker skin, and strange clothing that seems to be made out of golden bones of some kind. Laiman shudders and confirms that these "Mariders" are in fact the people who stole the Aqua Stone, pointing out a muscular man in the middle holding up a small blue gemstone in his hands and tossing it around carelessly while his comrades drank some strange amber-colored liquid. Determined not to simply rush in, as that could simply lead to conflict that they didn't need, Atra suggested the three sneak around the camp in order to retrieve the Aqua Stone. Bynde circles the camp, waiting for the man with the stone to enter his small tent and seperate himself off from the other warriors. Giving a signal to her friends to alert them that the time was right, the three snuck in behind the man, with Bynde drawing her sword and pointing it at his back. The man yelped as he dropped the stone, which Laiman swiftly ran over and picked up. Laiman taunted the man, laughing that nobody would be able to keep ahold of the sacred relic of the Effec for as long as he was around; in response to this, the man, introducing himself as Mack, complained that Laiman had given the stone to him, and that he had no right to try hiring assassins like this to come after him. Confused, Atra asks what exactly is going on, and while Laiman sweats nervously, Mack explains that he had been gambling with the Effec a few days prior, and after running out of money, he had decided to put up the gemstone as a bargaining chip. Laiman lost, and Mack got the stone and the money, the latter of which he had used to buy both alcohol and important supplies that his tribe needed to return back home. Atra slapped Laiman on the back of the head, ashamed of him for trying to use the ancient relic as nothing more than a gambling tool. Laiman apologized for his actions, but refused to return the stone to Mack due to a need to return it to its rightful place. Mack eventually asked why the Effec even needed the stone, seeing as Laiman had never told him it was anything more than a standard jewel; Laiman explained that the Aqua Stone was the effective key to some dungeon the Effec didn't want people entering, being the only thing capable of cooling off the lava sealing the entrance. With this, Bynde realized he must have been referring to the location where part of the Dark Eye was being kept, and she now knew that she'd need the Aqua Stone to get in. Attempting to express her situation with hand gestures, she once again couldn't get her message across without Atra as an interpreter explaining her need to get into that dungeon. Laiman didn't want to hand over the Aqua Stone for fear of losing it yet again, but with pressure from Mack, he eventually handed it over to Bynde. ---- After some time wandering, Laiman lead Bynde to what looked like a massive spout of lava bursting from the side of a mountain. The Effec instructed her to hold the Aqua Stone aloft, and after following his directions, a spout of water emerged from thin air to harden the lava, revealing the entrance to some temple buried in the mountain. With Atra unable to enter due to her plant-like body and fear of entering the lava-filled temple and Laiman deciding to keep watch over her, Bynde ventured into the foreboding location alone. Using the power of the Aqua Stone, she was able to redirect the constantly flowing streams of lava until eventually reaching a chamber of what appeared to be a giant demonic skeleton. Bynde, spurred on by a mysterious voice in the back of her mind, snapped off the skeleton's horn, which somehow burst into golden flames on contact with her skin; instead of hurting, however, the flames filled her with a sense of power and strength. Venturing onward with this newfound surge of energy, she made her way into a large central chamber filled with flames. Threatened by a massive demon made of stone and lava, Bynde nevertheless battled her way to victory, entering a small corridor on the other side of the room and obtaining a strange golden artifact dotted with purple crystal. One piece down, one to go... and then she could find Tai. Asyla Drifts With one half of the Dark Eye obtained, Bynde merely needed to determine the location of the artifact's other half. However, neither Atra or Laiman seemed to have any concept of where this "tomb of the sea" could be; desperately, she turned to Mack, who may have had the answers she sought. Mack did seem to recall something about a tomb from his more learned sister, Marnetta, which could potentially be the location Bynde was looking for. With tentative looks from Laiman, the three decided to follow Mack and his crew back to their base of operations, where Marnetta could potentially fill the group in on the location of the Dark Eye piece. Mack took the group to a small coastal town on the edge of a white, sandy beach, where people from all over the kingdom were relaxing and talking with each other. Bynde noticed a fair amount of women acting as merchants, who seemed to be wearing similar clothing to that of Mack; perhaps they were of the same tribe? At either rate, her guide was beckoning the trio to join him on a small wooden craft of some kind, saying that he'd take them over to a small building suspended on stilts in the water where Marnetta would be hanging out. Not used to the sort of craft Mack was piloting, Bynde held on for dear life during the trip, fearful to fall into the water as the others reassured her it was alright. After the short ride over to the building, Bynde and crew left their vehicle and entered the building that Mack had taken them to. Inside, standing at a large table with a map on it, was a muscular woman who looked similar to Mack, a massive hammer at her side. Mack gave her a short greeting and the woman, presumably Marnetta, shifted from a serious expression to a more excited and sincere one, with the two siblings shaking hands in an exceedingly masculine gesture. Marnetta asked who exactly her brother had dragged in, and Mack explained the situation; when asked about the "tomb of the sea", Marnetta seemed to have some idea of what exactly the Sage meant. ---- Marnetta explained to Bynde that off the coast of Kalidia lay an oceanic citadel known as the Tomb of Remembrance, where the Marider had buried their dead for decades to honor the fallen. Recently, however, some foul tempest had taken over the tomb, infesting the dead and turning them into cursed beings they had recently dubbed Sea Wraiths. Bynde seemed to believe that the Dark Eye piece would be lurking inside the tomb, but when the question was brought up by Atra, Marnetta stated that outsiders were not permitted to enter the tomb out of respect for the dead. However, Mack brought up a suggestion; Bynde and company could assist Marnetta in clearing out the infestation of Mirekin that had been attacking the town in exchange for entry. Marnetta seemed to object at first, but eventually agreed, giving Bynde a hearty handshake to seal the deal. After clearing out the Mirekin, Bynde returned to the Marider settlement, where Marnetta was beaming with pride at her accomplishments. Honoring her bravery and skill in combat, she placed her hand on Bynde's shoulder and gave her a blessing of sorts, stating that she was now considered an honorary member of the Marider tribe and could now enter the Tomb of Remembrance. She also handed her a small necklace made of silver scales; Marnetta titled it the Siren Necklace, a tool that would help her travel through the waters on the way to the tomb and enter without hassle. With approval garnered, Bynde asked Mack to sail her out into the Tomb of Remembrance, eager to get her hands on the Dark Eye piece. Upon arrival to the tomb, Bynde immediately sensed something wasn't right. The air was immensely forboding, with the breeze feeling almost alive, and all around the area were the crumbling and broken husks of fallen warriors, glowing with a sickly green smoke. She cut her way through the area until coming across the fully intact remains of what looked like a knight, his blade swirling with wind. After defeating the knight, his body crumbled into ash, with the wind from his sword swirling into her body instead. At this point, Bynde had to wonder; why was she such a master with using and controlling the powers and items that she had found in all these ancient ruins? These were foreign objects, being wielded by a girl from the Moon, and yet she was using them as if she had known them all her life. It almost felt like these objects were seeking her out... She pushed the thought out of her head. She had to focus on obtaining the Dark Eye piece. As she ascended to the top floor of the tomb, she watched as the foul wind permeating the building fused into a massive creature, eager to fight her. Using the new wind powers she had obtained from the knight, Bynde beat the creature and walked into the next room to obtain her prize... the second half of the Dark Eye. Now to find Tai and her kidnapper and make things right. The Encounter With both pieces of the Dark Eye assembled, Bynde received an urgent message through the Kingsbead. After responding, she discovered that it wasn't Logos like usual, but instead King Patheus, who was ordering she return to the castle with the two pieces of the Dark Eye; the Sage would be waiting there with him, and she would help them assemble and use the artifact. Concerned with the unusual coherence of the king, Bynde left the tomb and returned to the others in the village. Atra seemed to know something was up, and decided that the full group should accompany her to the castle. Laiman and Mack gleefully agreed to tag along, while Marnetta sighed to herself and reluctantly decided to ensure that Mack stayed out of trouble. With her friends backing her, Bynde began her trek back to the castle... With a mysterious figure watching in the distance. Bynde and company soon returned to Kalidia Castle where they were greeted by Logos, Patheus, and the Sage. Though the mood among Bynde's friends was easygoing and excited- they were about to complete her task and save her sister- both the Sage and Patheus seemed much more somber about the events to soon transpire. The Sage asked to see both halves of the Dark Eye, and Bynde obliged; the elder Fleurde spoke some form of ancient language as the two halves of the purple crystal reformed into one, gold wires sprouting from thin air to entwine the two. With the artifact restored, Patheus asked Bynde to place her hand on the glowing jewel. Doing as instructed, Bynde felt herself getting lighter as her vision was engulfed in purple light. Bynde found herself inside what appeared to be an eerie palace carved from bone and purple rock, standing in the middle of a garden filled with red flowers. Standing in the middle of the garden was none other than Tai, who Bynde could tell from a distance had burn marks on her arm. Sisterly instinct kicking in, she rushed over to the younger Lumina in order to check and see if she was okay. Tai turned around, her melancholy expression turning into a shocked and happy one upon seeing her older sister again. Confused and bewildered that Bynde had braved her fears and somehow managed to find her way to the planet below, Tai explained that she had no clue why the woman had taken her, but it had something to do with "unlocking her potential". Tai gave away her location- Darkiris Stronghold in the Foglands- and told Bynde to stay strong and keep fighting. Bynde felt her connection flicker away as a strange electric mist began filling the air, and she gasped for air as she felt herself return to the castle. ---- After Logos and Atra helped bring Bynde back to consciousness, Patheus asked her what exactly she had seen through the lens of the Dark Eye. The Sage seems to have a recollection of sorts when the name of Darkiris Stronghold is brought up, and the two elders in the room explain that the stronghold was a long-forgotten keep built by an order called the Stargazers... Though the Stargazers had since died out, the sealed keep was home to untold secrets that no Kalidian, not even Patheus, had seen before. The Dark Eye, being a supposed relic of the Stargazers, should allow Bynde access to the stronghold. The group set off to find Darkiris Stronghold, but were stopped by Patheus; he believed that, if his predictions were true, only Bynde herself would be worthy to enter the belly of the beast. Nervous, Bynde accepted, and ventured off alone to save Tai. Bynde returned to the foggy forest where she had first arrived on the planet, and by following Patheus and the Sage's directions via the Kingsbead, she soon came across a vast fortress made of the same purple stone she had seen in her vision. Holding out the Dark Eye to the locked gate, she soon found the doors opening for her, as if welcoming a guest into its labyrinthine corridors. Plenty of Mirekin and other foes were waiting for her within the stronghold proper, but Bynde found herself more scared of the runes carved on the walls; aside from depictions of bloodshed and violence, she found some depicting a woman that felt familiar to her for some reason, deeply unnerving her. Nevertheless, she pushed onward, finally coming across the red garden she had seen in her vision. Tai was there... and so was the woman who had taken her, crouching in front of her and talking with her. The woman finally turns, noticing Bynde behind her with her blade drawn. She doesn't seem frightened at all, rather turning to Bynde and introducing herself as Kathia. Tai rushed over to her sister's side, hiding behind her for protection and thanking her for coming all the way to help save her, but Kathia simply chuckled to herself as she drew out a flaming blade of her own from thin air; both sisters being here apparently only meant that she would be able to carve out both "Shards" with little to no effort. Both sisters were confused, but Kathia continued her speech, saying that with time and training, she'd be able to teach Tai how to "use her powers right". Calling out Bynde by name, however, Kathia claimed that the elder sister would need to have her Shard torn out of her body instead. Clashing swords, the duel between Bynde and Kathia began in earnest. ---- Finally triumphing over Kathia, Bynde ran over to Tai, who had been hiding off in a corner to avoid the fight. The two sisters hugged tightly, both crying tears of joy that the nightmarish ordeal was over. Kathia moaned as she tried to get up off the floor, charging a fireball in her hand before collapsing again. For some reason, Tai looked over to the mysterious woman and left Bynde's side for a second, kneeling down in front of her and chanting some mysterious language that Bynde couldn't understand. Kathia's wounds seemed to be healing as a strange gold light ran down her body; when Tai stopped singing, Kathia slowly got up and massaged her shoulder. Bynde's expression turned confused and bewildered as she wondered why Tai suddenly had healing powers, and why she would use them on her kidnapper and presumed torturer. Tai explained to her sister not to worry; Kathia had shown her how to use something she called the "Shard of the Crest", and it would be the wrong thing to just leave her for dead. Before Tai could explain any further, a bolt of lightning shot through the garden, cutting off Bynde from her sister. A powerful-looking man, wielding a spear and wreathed in electricity, emerged from a side door, glaring at Bynde with a gaze that felt both sorrowful and threatening. As Bynde drew her sword in self-defense, Kathia bowed down in front of the man, greeting him as Lord Noske. Tai began backing off as the man walked in front of her, but instead of striking her as Bynde was expecting, he simply knelt down and held out his hand to the young girl, as if to comfort her. Bynde was even more confused as to what was going on, but Noske turned his head towards her and pointed his weapon directly at her, before berating Kathia about trying to kill somehow who was clearly strong enough to break all the way into their stronghold. The fiery woman began explaining that Bynde had followed her after she had located and taken the "Crest" away from the Moon, which only raised his suspicions even more. Noske gave Bynde a look-over quickly before thrusting his weapon directly at her. Caught off guard, Bynde raised her arms to block the attack, only to be thrown off by a blue light that seemed to be coming from her hand. The spear hovering inches from her face, Bynde looked at her hand; somehow, a strange diamond-shaped symbol had burnt itself on the back of it, with strange runs and gear-like symbols floating around it. Noske put down his spear as a smile creeped across his face; he remarked that after decades of searching, the Seeker had finally arrived. Confused as to what exactly was going on, Bynde raised her sword once more, only for Noske to offer to explain the situation. Putting his hand on Tai's head, Noske stated that the gathering of all four of them was proof of the "cycle of reincarnation" beginning once more. Noske explained that the world of Kalidia had always been subject to the whims and wishes of a quintet of creator deities; having accomplished the creation of what they saw as their perfect world, they instead focused their efforts on a second world, which became Kalidia's moon. Once life began developing on the moon, the gods decided to have a bit of fun with the race that would one day become the Lumina. Imbuing chosen individuals with great power and strength, they forced them to play out a little game that they had enacted, and once the game was done, the gods kept reincarnating the chosen players over and over, eager to see who would come on top. The eras changed, the world changed, and cultures changed, but the spirits and powers tied to this endless cycle would always remain constant. Noske shocked Bynde even further by stating that he too was a Lumina; having been cast down from the Moon by force centuries ago just for being born as the so-called "Dark Lord" that this endless cycle had forced him to be. Noske took Tai's hand and walked her back over to her older sister. The man told Bynde to leave with her sister as Kathia looked confused behind him; with Bynde now unable to avoid her destiny as a Seeker, she would be unable to return home until her task in Kalidia was done. Following this statement, Noske told the two sisters to spend what time they could together and be happy, for it was only a matter of time before he and Kathia would have to fulfill their own destiny and slaughter Bynde. A heavy feeling weighing down in their hearts, the two sisters left Darkiris Stronghold. ---- Upon returning to the castle, the two sisters were greeted by Logos, who asked Bynde if everything was alright. Looking down to see Tai, he concluded that Bynde had succeeded in saving her sister, and welcomed the younger sibling to Kalidia Castle where she could rest. Tai was concerned, however, and asked Logos if he was aware of anyone named Noske. Logos denied this, sweating, while King Patheus slowly emerged from the other end of the corridor, a somber and serious look on his face. Knowing Bynde had faced the dark lord Noske, he determined that there were some things he would need to tell her. Tai's initial reaction to Patheus was to ask whether or not Noske's speech was true; were she and Bynde really part of some cycle of reincarnation? Patheus confirmed this to be the case, as this cycle had been a part of Kalidian history for thousands of years, and that Patheus himself had actually known the previous incarnations of what he called the Crest and the Seeker long ago. Egged on to explain what that meant, the elderly king explained that the titles referred to the roles each spirit played. The Crest was a person or object of immense power, taken by the Lord and his disciple, the Obsessed, to attain some dark goal. The Seeker would be the one sent to retrieve or save the Crest, guided by the final reincarnated spirit known as the Guide. Bynde felt strange inside after hearing this; everything so far had happened exactly as Patheus described. Looking around, she realized that Logos seemed to be feeling off as well, as he kept fiddling with his left arm... which she only now realized was charred black, as if it had been violently burned and charred. Patheus finally reiterated what Bynde had been dreading; with the cycle of reincarnation fully initiated, the two sisters were locked inside a battle that could not be avoided. While Bynde would be able to return to the Moon whenever she desired, Tai would be unable to leave the planet as she was now unable to escape the wrath of the Lord. If Bynde wanted to return home with her sister, she would have to slay Noske, killing him to ensure the end of the cycle once again. Suddenly, the Sage appeared from behind a corner, looking somber as well. The Sage explained that in order to prepare herself for the inevitable battle with Noske, Bynde would have to attain blessings from five shrines located across Kalidia, strengthening herself to be on par with the man she would need to kill. Bynde thought to herself about the situation; Noske seemed just as hesitant to fight as she was, and he even seemed to be encouraging her not to fight despite the inevitability. Could he really be as heartless and evil as Patheus was making him out to be? Regardless, Bynde accepted. Killing Noske would be the only way she could return home with Tai and finally bring an end to all this. Logos told Bynde that he would take care of and watch over Tai for her while she sought out the shrines, just to ease her worry. With everything prepared and a guide to the shrines prepared by the Sage, Bynde set out to prepare for her final battle. Just before she left, though, Tai handed her the sitar she had spent so much time practicing; Tai said it could help her on her journey more than it would sitting in the castle. With one final hug, Bynde set off. Characters Romancing After clearing Darkiris Stronghold, Bynde becomes able to form a romantic bond with one of four characters: Logos, Atra, Mack, or Marnetta. Romancing a character involves undertaking four sidequests with them before entering an difficult optional dungeon known as the Diamond Cavern. At the end of this dungeon lies a unique item known as the Matrimonial Diamond, which can be made into a ring in Cineris and used to propose to the character of your choice. All romancing sidequests can be done in one save file, but as only one diamond exists, only one proposal can be made per save. Successfully proposing to a character alters the ending of the game subtly, showcasing Bynde marrying the character the player proposed to. In addition, this also unlocks a unique upgrade or ability tied to the character, each of which is incredibly powerful yet mutually exclusive due to how the marriage system is implemented. Map TBA Locations Dungeons Items Major Minor Enemies Bosses Trivia *Much like SHIFT, Crestseeker began as a different project before switching over to an original IP- in this case, a Zelda title named The Legend of Zelda: The Cursed Crest. The project was retooled due to a desire to break free of series constraints as well as to tell a more original story, though elements of the original do remain. Category:Games Category:Original Games Category:Action Adventure Games Category:Pyro Enterprizes Category:Onyx Games Category:Crestseeker